An Opportunity
by The Halfblood Hufflepuff
Summary: Just a few missing scenes from the pilot.


Elizabeth watched Conrad walk away and sank back to her seat. _What just happened?_ She thought.

"Elizabeth?" Henry came into the kitchen, "What did Conrad want?"

She looked up at him and opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. She swallowed and tried again, "He… he asked me to be Secretary of State."

"He what?" he said, "What did you say?"

"I'm not sure that I said anything, but he said that I could take the day to think about it."

"What are you thinking?"

"I… I'm still trying to process it."

"Well, obviously you're going to take it."

"What? Why?"

"Babe, the President of the United States just offered you one of the most important jobs in the country, you have to take it."

"But we would have to move to DC! We can't just leave our farm- our jobs- and what about the kids? And-"

"Wow wow wow, slow down. We can make arrangements for the farm, I'm sure that UVA will manage without us, and the kids will just have to adjust to DC."

"This isn't some weekend away that we are talking about! We have a life here, a good one, and we can't just throw it away on a whim!"

"I get that, but you can't just throw away an opportunity like this either."

"Why do you even want me to take it? I'd be working all the time, and I'd probably never be home, and you would need to find a new job…"

"I'm sure that we will figure it out," Henry moved behind her and started massaging her shoulders, "Is there another reason you are hesitant to accept?"

"I-" Elizabeth deflates a bit, "I'm a college professor Henry, I'm not qualified to be Secretary of State."

"Well, obviously the President disagrees," Henry says, "and don't forget that before you were a college professor, you were a CIA analyst, so you're not exactly a novice with world politics."

"But it's quite a big leap from analyst to cabinet member."

"So? Conrad wouldn't have asked you if he didn't think you were up to it, and for what it's worth I think you are too."

"You have to say that so it doesn't count."

Henry laughed, "Fair enough, but that doesn't mean I'm not still right."

Elizabeth huffed and looked at the tabletop, "I still don't like the thought of our family being in the public eye."

"Tell you what, we'll call a family meeting and put it to a vote. If all the kids don't agree then you don't don't have to take it."

"Fine, deal."

"Good," Henry leaned over and gave his wife a chaste kiss, "you go find Ali and Jason, and I'll get Stevie on the phone."

"Sure," Elizabeth got up and went upstairs to find her kids. She knocked on Ali's door first before opening it. Ali looked up from her phone, "hey noodle, we're having a family meeting, so come downstairs."

"In a minute, I'm talking to my boyfriend."

"All right, but _only_ a minute."

"Fine."

There was music coming out of Jason's room when she knocked on the door, "Jason!"

"What?"

"Family meeting downstairs, let's go."

"Is this about why the President was here?"

"Yes, I'll tell you more once you get downstairs."

Jason turned off his music and got up.

Once they were all at the kitchen table Henry got them started, "So this meeting is about a surprising offer your mother got today."

"Mom got an offer from President Dalton?" said Jason, "What kind of offer?"  
"Wait, why would she be getting an offer from Mr. Dalton?" asked Stevie over the phone.

"Because he was here today."

"He was?" said Ali.

"Hey!" interrupted Elizabeth, "Yes, President Dalton was here today, and he offered me a job as Secretary of State. I haven't accepted yet, and I won't unless you all agree."

"Didn't the Secretary of State just die in a plane crash?" asked Alison.

"Yes, that's why he needs a new one Ali," said Stevie.

"Why does he want you to do it?" asked Jason.

"Thanks Jase," said Elizabeth.

"President Dalton wants your mother to handle foreign affairs because she is an accomplished and intelligent woman. Now we will vote on this, but there are some things you need to understand. First, this would mean we are moving to DC."

"DC isn't that far," said Stevie.

"When would we be going?" asked Jason.

"I'm not exactly sure, but probably as soon as we can make the arrangements."

"Would we be able to visit?" asked Ali.

"Of course. We aren't planning to sell this place."

"Ok, good."

"You should also be aware of the fact that this is a public position, meaning that it is likely that our family would end up in the news from time to time."

"What do you mean?" asked Stevie.

"Well, given that the government is expected to maintain a certain level of transparency," she pointedly ignored Jason's snort at that, "and the Secretary of State is responsible for all of the United States foreign policy, journalists will be paying quite a bit of attention to me. I will also be expected to appear at a lot of public events, and it is customary that I bring my family from time to time."

"I don't want to have to go to any public events," said Stevie.

"Why not Stevie, it's like being famous," said Alison.

"You'll get it when you're older Ali," said Stevie.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's enough girls," said Elizabeth, "Stevie, if you want to me to keep you out of the press, then I can do that."

"Ok, then is there anything else we need to know?"

"Well, I will be a lot busier than I have been. My schedule will be unpredictable, and will occasionally include sudden trips overseas."

"Cool," said Jason.

"That means that I won't be home as often as we might like, and I might miss some things, but I swear that I will still make you guys my number one priority."

"I think we can manage on our own sometimes, Mom. We aren't little kids."

Elizabeth sighed and looked at Henry for help.

"Guys, this is a huge opportunity for your mother, but it will be hard on our family at times, so she will only take it if you are ok with it. Are you?"

The kids exchanged glances as they thought about it. Elizabeth held her breath.

"I don't want to pose in front of a bunch of cameras, but I think that you should take it."

"Thanks Stevie," said Elizabeth.

"What does the Secretary of State do?" asked Alison.

"Seriously Ali?" said Jason.

"What? I want to know!"

"You should already know," said Stevie.

"Stop picking on your sister," said Henry.

"The Secretary of State is the highest ranking member or the President's cabinet, and one of his closest advisors. They are also responsible for representing the US's interests to the rest of the world," said Elizabeth.

"She would also be on the National Security Council and be fourth in line to be president," added Jason.

"How did you know that?" asked Stevie.

"Are you kidding? The Secretary of State died in a plane crash yesterday. I spent half the morning reading up on it. It's totally a coverup by the way."

"Great," said Elizabeth with an exasperated glance at Henry, "So Stevie said she's in; what do you two think?"

"I'm in," said Ali, "it will be fun to live in an actual city."

"I'm in too. This way I'm closer to the action."

"Well that settles it then," said Henry. Elizabeth was smiling fixedly.

"So can we go?" asked Alison.

"Sure Noodle," said Elizabeth.

"Cool," said Jason. He and Alison got up.

"I'm gonna go too; I'm meeting some friends in like ten minutes."

"Love you honey," said Henry.

"Love you too, bye."

Henry looked at his wife, "Are you going to call Conrad?"

"I guess so," she picked up her phone, but she just stared at it.

"You know that it's not going to dial itself right?"

"Right," she didn't move.

"Babe, you do want the job, right? Because if you really don't want this job you can turn it down."

"I don't know, Henry. I mean, I don't know what me having this job will look like."

"Me either, but I know that we will figure it out."

"Promise?"

"Promise." he said with a smile.

Elizabeth opened her phone and dialed Conrad's number. "Is this really happening?"

"I think it is."

"Hello?" said a woman on the other end of the phone.

"Hi, this is Elizabeth McCord. I'd like to speak with President Dalton please."

"Just one moment."

She held her breath for what felt like minutes, but was probably only a few seconds.

"Elizabeth?"

"Conrad."

"You know, I was expecting you to take a bit more time to think before getting back to me."

"Yes, well, I talked it over with Henry and the kids, and everyone agrees that there is really only one choice."

"So you'll take the job?"

"If you really want me to, then yes, I'll take the job."

"Excellent. I'll let you get back to your family, and my office will be in touch on Monday to discuss your official nomination. Don't hesitate to call if you need help with anything."

"I won't."

"Take care Bess."

"You too Conrad."

She hung up the phone and looked at Henry, "I'm going to be the Secretary of State."

"Yes."

She stood up, "I'm going for a ride."

"Really? That's it?"

"I just need to think for a bit."

"Ok."

Elizabeth went out to the barn and saddled up Buttercup. She rode for about an hour, thinking about everything that was about to change. She would be living in a new house, in a new city, with a new job, and new responsibilities. This was an amazing opportunity to do good in the world, but was she really up to the task? Conrad thought she was, so did Henry.

And deep down she knew that they were right, but she was scared of what that could mean. What was she capable of?

* * *

Elizabeth and Henry were sitting outside the dean's office Monday morning before classes started. They had spent Sunday calling the people who should hear the news from them. Elizabeth had accepted Maureen and Henry's dad's double sided congratulations, and rolled her eyes when Will had mocked her for stumbling into power. Now they had to tell the dean that they would no longer be teaching at UVA.

"Good morning McCords, come on in."

"Morning Paul," said Henry. Elizabeth just smiled and held Henry's hand as they entered the office and sat in front of the dean's desk.

"So what can I do for you?"

"Well, unfortunately, we are here to resign," said Henry.

"What?"

"I got a job offer in DC over the weekend that I really couldn't turn down."

"I am very sorry to see you go, you are two of our best professors. How long until you leave?"

"We haven't worked out the details yet, but most likely this is our last week."

"One week? You're leaving in the middle of the semester?"

"Unfortunately yes. Believe me, I'm not thrilled about it, but there's really no way around it."

"What is the job?"

Elizabeth hesitated, "President Dalton has asked me to replace the late Vincent Marsh as Secretary of State."

Paul blinked, "This is a joke, isn't it. You two aren't really resigning, you're just messing with me."

"That's what I thought at first," said Elizabeth, "but apparently not."

"Why you?"

"Conrads' an old friend from my CIA days. He said that he doesn't want a politician for the post, and that he knows I think outside the box. To be honest, I still don't totally get why he picked me, but when your president calls, you go."

"Man, I wish that I could argue with that. I'm very sorry to see you go, but congratulations anyway. I don't suppose you have recommendations for your replacements?"

"We do. We can call them and ask if they'll take over the rest of the term, and then you can decide if you want them to stay after that," said Henry.

"That would be greatly appreciated."

"Then I think we should get to class," said Henry, "we will make announcements in all our classes starting today."

"Good. Let me know who will be taking over for you," Paul stood to walk them to the door, "I wish you both luck, especially you Elizabeth, and please come back to visit from time to time."

"Thank you, and we will."

They walked out hand in hand. "So when is the White House going to call you?"

"I'm not sure, Conrad just said Monday. I'm just going to keep my phone handy."

"Even in class?"

"I think the president is more important than my lecture. Also, I figured that I should get used to keeping my phone on me, since the Secretary of State needs to be reachable like, always."

"Probably a good idea," Henry looked at his wife, "Things are really going to change for us now, aren't they."

Elizabeth sighed, "Yes, they are."

He squeezed her hand, "It will take some getting used to, but you're going to do fine."

"Just fine?"

"I walked right into that one," they reached the point where their paths parted, "Good luck today. And call me after you talk to the White House."

"You too, and I will," she leaned in to kiss him before parting ways to class.

She watched her students file into the classroom like any other Monday. For them, it sort of was. An odd thought, given how much her life was about to change. She waited for the official start of class, and then she stood and called for their attention.

"Good morning everyone. Before we get started on the lesson today, I have an announcement to make. This will be my last week as a professor at UVA," the class broke out in a confused murmur, "I'm not sure who will be taking over my class yet, but I assure you they will be qualified and I hope that you will show them with the same respect that you have shown me."

"Why are you leaving?" asked a particularly bold student.

Elizabeth leaned against her desk and measured her words carefully, "Over the weekend I was approached be President Dalton and asked to fill the position of Secretary of State, so my family and I will be moving to DC."

The whispering became more excited, "Why you?" someone asked.

Elizabeth bit her lip to keep from smiling, "I worked under Conrad Dalton for 20 years at the CIA. He said that he needs someone he can trust and fast. Apparently I fit the bill."

"Wait, you worked at the CIA?"

"Yes, I was an analyst there for 20 years."

"Did you ever kill anyone?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "No, I was an analyst. That means that sat at a desk, analysed information, and write reports that _might_ be read by the people who make decisions for the national security."

"How does that qualify you to be Secretary of State?"  
"Ouch," the class laughed and Elizabeth sent the student who had asked the question a forgiving smile, "It means that I technically have the knowledge, contacts, and practical experience to do the job, but I'm an unusual choice. Secretary of State is a very political position and is usually filled by someone who has held a public office before. I'm just a spy turned college professor."

"But you're friends with the President?"

Elizabeth nodded, "I've known him for over 30 years. His son and my daughter went to prom together. As friends, but still."

"That's so cool! Does he tell you a bunch of classified stuff?"  
"Since he became President he hasn't really had time to talk to me and our other CIA friends too much, but as a CIA analyst I had access to classified information, and as Secretary of State, I will definitely be privy to it."

"So you will take over the Iran peace negotiations?"

"Yes. I was on the Middle East desk at the company, so I'm very familiar with the politics of the area. President Dalton actually said that it's one of the biggest reasons that he wants to appoint me so quickly," she glanced at the clock, "Now I know that this is all very exciting, but I would like to get an actual lesson on political science."

"Can the lesson be on the Middle East?" asked a student in the front row.

Elizabeth smiled, "I should have told you about the CIA on the first day, right? Fine, I'll tell you about the Middle East." She walked over to the whiteboard and started sketching a map while she lectured.

* * *

Elizabeth got the call halfway through her late morning lecture.

"Hello?"

"Is this Elizabeth McCord?"

"It is."

"This is White House Chief of Staff Russel Jackson's office, please hold."

Elizabeth glanced at he watch and turned to her class, "I'll post the rest of the lecture online later today; class dismissed."

Her students buzzed excitedly as they filed out of class. Elizabeth sat at her desk and waited.

"We will announce your nomination later today, and you will need be to be in DC by next week. Got it?" an impatient man on the other side of the phone said suddenly.

"Umm…"

"Great. If you need any help finding a house or moving, call this number and my assistant will help you out. I'll have my assistant transfer you to our press team, and you can fill them in on the personal details for the press release."

"Wait-" hold music started playing. Elizabeth looked at her phone, "Well that was rude," she said to the empty room.

"Hello?" said her phone.

"Yes, hi. This is Elizabeth McCord."

"Good morning ma'am, my name is Sarah, and I am in charge of the press release for your nomination. I just need you to clarify a few things for me."

"I can do that."

"Great. Now I see here that you worked for the CIA for about 20 years…"

* * *

Elizabeth watched as the movers loaded the last few boxes onto the truck. It was Friday. A week ago she had been driving into DC to have dinner with some old friends, and now she was moving to DC so to take on one of the most powerful offices in the country. Everything had gone so fast after the news broke. Her students were crowding her with questions every time she was on campus, in fact they had forced her to discontinue office hours after Tuesday, and she and Henry had both found capable replacements. The White House had helped them find a house, and Ali and Jason would start school on Monday.

The Confirmation Hearing would start Monday as well. And she would probably meet Secretary Marsh's staff at some point. Maybe she should start fresh and hire her own staff, but then again she really didn't know where to look, and it seemed like a shame to just fire a whole team of fully capable individuals.

She had talked to the President's Chief of staff on the phone a few times, and she wasn't sure what to make of him. He had made it clear that he didn't agree with Conrad's decision to appoint her, and that she would need to earn his trust the hard way.

"Ready babe?" Henry said, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Henry smiled softly and put his arm around her, "You are going to be great."

"You have to say that because you're my husband."

Henry laughed and led her over to the car. The kids were already in the back seat.

"So," Henry said as he got into the driver's seat, "Who's excited about our new adventure?"

There was no answer. Elizabeth and Henry looked behind them. Ali and Jason both have their headphones in.

"Well, I'm excited," said Henry.

"I'll get there."

"Good," he started the car, "because this really is an amazing opportunity."


End file.
